ADVOCACY 101 PRESENTED BY: CAITRIN MCCARRON SHUY, DIRECTOR, - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
ADVOCACY 101 PRESENTED BY: CAITRIN MCCARRON SHUY, DIRECTOR, CONGRESSIONAL RELATIONS OVERVIEW 1. Opening Discussion 2. Congress the Basics 3. Political Context 4. Why Advocate? 5. Talking to Congress 6. Being an advocate from home
PRESENTED BY:
CAITRIN MCCARRON SHUY, DIRECTOR, CONGRESSIONAL RELATIONS
1. Opening Discussion 2. Congress – the Basics 3. Political Context 4. Why Advocate? 5. Talking to Congress 6. Being an advocate from home 7. Resources 8. Public Health Advocacy topics
before? What barriers do you encounter when advocating?
U.S. House of Representatives
435 voting Members of Congress (MOCs) apportioned by population (Delegates and Commissioners Participate But Do Not
Vote.)
2 – Year Terms Rules – Majority will always prevail!
US HOUSE BY STATE DELEGATION (115TH CONGRESS)
REPUBLICANS LIKELY TO LOSE HOUSE IN 2018
Analysis
U.S. Senate
Two per each of 50 States = 100 72% Represent Indian Tribes 6 Year Terms Rules - Deference to minority. Filibuster.
REPUBLICANS RETAIN MAJORITY IN SENATE AT JUST 1
WHO IS IN CONGRESS?
WHO IS IN CONGRESS?
CONGRESSIONAL OFFICE STRUCTURE
Member of Congress Chief of Staff Legislative Director/Counse l Legislative Aide Communication s Director District Director District Caseworkers Legislative Correspondent Staff Assistant Personal Assistant/ Scheduler Policy Staff Communications Staff Office Staff District Staff
Source: “Hit the Ground Running: 112th Congress Edition,” Office of Rep. Eric Cantor.
Sample Organization of a Congressional Office
Conference Committee** Writes compromise bill. That bill goes back to both houses for final approval; approved bill is sent to the President
HOW A BILL BECOMES A LAW
Congress
Bill becomes Law Representative Introduces bill in the House of Representatives* Senator Introduces bill in the Senate* House Committee/Subcommittee
*Legislation may be introduced in either chamber except for tax law, which must originate in the House **Most major legislation goes to conference committee; When one chamber passes legislation originating in the other without making changes, bill goes directly to President
2/3 vote in Congress can
President vetoes
Releases Revises & Releases Table s
Senate Committee/Subcommittee Senate floor Bill is read, debated and amended; simple majority needed to pass House floor Bill is read, debated and amended; simple majority needed to pass
Passes different bill than Senate
Passed bills sent to other chamber unless similar measures are already under consideration
Passes different bill than House
President signs
White House
Releases Revises & Releases Table s
Process and obstacles for enacting and enforcing laws
President vetoes bill, Congress can override veto with a supermajority vote If the law is challenged in court, a judge can rule to prevent enforcement with an injunction and may eventually strike down the law Executive orders or signing statements can prevent a law from being enforced as
An Analysi ysis
president can use vetoes, executive orders, or signing statements to prevent the bill from being enacted or enforced
process, can prevent the law from being enacted by mounting a successful legal challenge
Signed by president Enacted
HOW A BILL DOES NOT BECOME A LAW
A breakdown of the legislative process in the 114th Congress
Analysis
bills and resolutions were voted on in at least one chamber
9,663 669 561 93 329 Referred to committee Orderedreported by committee Passed House Passed Senate Enacted Number
bills and resolutions, by stage
consideration (114th Congress)
ONLY 3% OF BILLS INTRODUCED IN 114TH CONGRESS BECAME LAW
Only 5% of bills introduced made it to the floor of either the House or Senate, a marker that the bill enjoyed serious deliberation
POLITICAL CONTEXT
Congress’ overall productivity is diminishing over time:
FEDERAL BUDGET OVERVIEW
Affairs; Indian Health Service; BIA; BIE; Transportation; FDA – most federal agencies
Congress so stability is there
spending getting cut – compete with other priorities
Social Security; Medicare, CHIP; Medicaid; SDPI
authorization = appropriation
program; funding level is rigid
FEDERAL SPENDING 2017
POLITICAL CONTEXT THE FEDERAL BUDGET
IHS has increased by about $2.2 billion since FY 2008
$3,000,000.00 $3,500,000.00 $4,000,000.00 $4,500,000.00 $5,000,000.00 $5,500,000.00 $6,000,000.00 FY 2008 FY 2009 FY 2010 FY 2011 FY 2012 FY 2013 FY 2014 FY 2015 FY 2016 FY 2017 FY 2018
IHS APPROPRIATIONS FYS 2008- 2018
Meanwhile…. The President Submitted his FY 2019 budget to Congress on February 12
$3.6 trillion in domestic spending cuts, including a 21% cut to the Department of Health and Human Services
Eliminates LIHEAP Major cuts to Cuts SNAP Eliminates the Community Services Block Grant $10 billion investment in opioid funding at HHS
to address the opioid crisis
FY 2019 proposes $5.4 billion for IHS in FY 2019 Increases to Hospitals and Clinics / Purchased Referred Care / Mental Health Alcohol and Substance Abuse Eliminates Community Health Representatives; Health Education programs
new and replacement facilities." No (known) investment in Health IT, despite VA receiving $1.2 billion Moves SDPI (and certain other health programs) from “mandatory” to “discretionary” funding. February 16 – Tribal Budget Formulation Workgroup wrote to the Office of Management and Budget Director asking for better consultation on the budget and emphasizing the support for CHRs and Health Education
Deadline to Testify before House Appropriations is April 6, 2018 for Hearings on May 9 and 10 – visit www.appropriations.gov and go to the Interior, Environment Subcommittee
representatives
state – especially if they are on the relevant committees
Interior Approps Ranking
Subcommittee Member, IHS designee
OTHER KEY HOUSE PLAYERS
OTHER KEY SENATE PLAYERS FOR INDIAN HEALTH
EXPECT TO MEET WITH STAFFERS DURING HILL VISITS
Sources: “2010 House Compensation Study,” Chief Administrative Officer of the U.S. House of Representatives; “Communicating With Congress,” Congressional Management Foundation, 2011.
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Member of Congress Visitors may not realize how highly overscheduled Members are; they average 70-hour weeks when in D.C., often achieved by double-booking meetings Chief of Staff Visitors may not expect how often chiefs are in communication with a Member; the tight bond means that chiefs are often delegated to speak for Member to constituents Legislative Director Visitors may not expect that LDs tend to be specialists in the policies of the committees on which Member serves; they may focus less on other areas Legislative Assistant Visitors may not expect that LAs are very young; their average age is under 29 Legislative Correspondent/Staff Assistant Visitors may not expect that LCs and SAs tend to be even younger than LAs, often recent college grads It is not uncommon for Members to show up halfway through a meeting or leave part
Meetings are most
and run through one
staffers LCs and SAs may join in meetings as a junior staffer or note- taker
Analysis Because members of Congress are often running from meeting to meeting to vote, staffers will often have more time to devote to a meeting, and be more capable of affecting any takeaway
Be on time
than 5 minutes before the meeting; Members are rarely available to meet earlier and Hill
small to accommodate lingering constituents
Scheduler if you are going to be late in case another meeting time must be arranged Leave Behind Brief Information
page briefing with data points on the issue discussed with the Member’s office; the document should serve as a helpful resource for staff as the issue moves through Congress Keep Politics Out of It
elections or campaign support in your meeting; it intimates that the Member is “for sale”
political views and relationships outside of the issue at hand Be flexible
either the Member or the Member’s staff; treat both with equal respect
in the middle of your meeting, continue as usual; and the Member will ask questions if needed Stay on Topic
you scheduled to discuss with the Member and the Member’s staff to keep the meeting focused and persuasive
1 2
Source: Congressional Management Foundation and the Society for Human Resource Management, “Face-to-Face with Congress: Before, During, and After Meetings with Legislators,” 2014.
XYZ ISSUE SUE REPORT ORTWhat to Keep in Mind When Conducting a Meeting with a Member of Congress
3 4 5
Arrive with some knowledge of the Member: What Committees are they on? How long in Congress? How close was their last election? Introduce yourself: Who are you and why you are important. Brag a little about cool things your Tribe/ health facility is doing at home. Get to the point: Don’t spend a lot of time beating around the bush. Your overview and ask should be no more than 3 minutes 1. Be prepared to answer questions 2. Offer your assistance to provide more information or to talk further
Assume the staffer/ Member doesn’t know anything about AI/ANs: Make sure to explain why you are not an “Entitlement” and why federal trust responsibility is critical. Make it personal: Make sure to emphasize why this “ask” should matter at home. Will people lose services? Will there be jobs lost? What will happen to the community?
Congressional Office at home or in the district write a letter from your Tribe
who handles the issue at the staff level and send directly.
and Resolutions
HOST A SITE VISIT TO YOUR TRIBAL NATION
staff to your facility or Tribe
learn about innovating things you are doing, but also challenges.
MoCs
administrators, patients, employees
TRYING
really the key to effective advocacy. There is power in NUMBERS.
wows, school events, sporting events, and talk about these issues
testimonial on your phone, write down their experience
folks can help
Opioids
disorder
legislation to be marked up before Memorial Day
include
Opioids
5140
for changes to help Indian Country including:
for prescribing exemptions; access to funding for pregnant and post partum women; and consultation requirement on state PDMPs.
formula-based grants for opioids; additional funding for data for surveillance to epi-centers; possible study on impacts of deferred care at IHS on opioid crisis
Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Reauthorization Act (PAHPA)
Public Health Emergency Preparedness Cooperative Agreements (CDC)
Farm Bill NIHB Working with the Native Farm Bill Coaltion to advance tribal nutrition priorities which are:
1. Authorize Tribes to enter into self-determination contracts pursuant to P.L. 93-638 for administration of food assistance programs.
increased funding for purchasing of traditional foods, infrastructure development, and nutrition education.
food assistance programs on the overall food security of Tribes.
HOW NIHB SUPPORTS TRIBAL MESSAGING AND ADVOCACY TRIBES
NIHB is here to help Tribes tell that story. We can help with:
Other services:
Committee (MMPC)
advantage